Brian Norton is the Chief Operating Officer of MyEtherWallet (MEW), a long standing non custodial wallet for the Ethereum ecosystem. As an operations and product leader, he plays a central role in shaping how everyday users interact with self custodial wallets, decentralized applications, and the wider Web3 economy.
Overview
As COO of MyEtherWallet, Norton oversees day to day operations, product strategy, and key partnerships for one of the earliest Ethereum focused wallet interfaces. His work spans consumer facing web and mobile products, backend infrastructure, and support for a broad set of on chain services including token management, staking, and access to decentralized finance protocols.
Norton is also closely involved in communicating MEW’s vision to the wider industry. Through conference appearances, interviews, and podcasts, he advocates for user friendly self custody, clear security practices, and wallet experiences that can support both new retail users and experienced participants in the crypto markets.
History and Background
Norton’s professional background spans technology operations, education, and robotics before his move into the crypto industry. Prior to joining MyEtherWallet, he held operations leadership and consulting roles at several firms, gaining experience in process design, growth management, and product delivery across different sectors.
His earlier career included work as an operations manager at Blueprint LSAT Preparation, where he helped coordinate educational services and staff, and as a grants administrator at Perception Robotics, a robotics company that focused on tactile sensing and automation. These positions gave him exposure to both high growth startups and structured educational environments, experience that later informed his approach to running and scaling crypto products.
Norton studied literature and the humanities in Chicago, completing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a focus on creative writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago, along with additional studies in English and philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. This background in communication and critical thinking has shaped his emphasis on clear messaging and user education in the context of complex blockchain technologies.
Role at MyEtherWallet
MyEtherWallet is a free, open source, client side interface that lets users interact with Ethereum compatible networks while retaining full control over their private keys. Under Norton’s operational leadership, MEW has evolved from a primarily web based interface into a broader suite of products that includes mobile applications and integrations with hardware wallets.
At MEW, Norton focuses on several key areas:
- Ensuring that wallet operations, support, and infrastructure can safely serve a global user base that interacts with Ethereum and EVM compatible networks.
- Collaborating with founder and CEO Kosala Hemachandra and the rest of the MEW team on product direction, including mobile first wallet experiences and browser based access to decentralized applications.
- Driving partnerships and integrations that allow users to manage tokens, interact with DeFi protocols, and connect to dApps from within the MEW interface.
- Coordinating user education efforts around seed phrase management, hardware wallet use, and other self custodial security practices.
Norton has also been involved in the launch and operational development of Enkrypt, a browser extension wallet built by the MyEtherWallet team. Enkrypt is designed to provide multi chain access for users who interact with Ethereum, layer two networks, and other compatible ecosystems, reflecting Norton’s focus on cross chain usability and secure access to decentralized applications.
Other Roles and Ventures
In addition to his responsibilities at MyEtherWallet, Norton has held operations and consulting roles in other technology and digital media ventures. He has served in operations focused positions at Enkrypt and at Nanopuppet LLC, a studio that works on digital content and production, contributing his experience in process optimization and organizational design.
Across these roles, Norton’s work has centered on building operational frameworks for small and mid sized teams, aligning technology roadmaps with business goals, and helping founders translate high level product ideas into deliverable features and services.
Contributions to the Crypto Ecosystem
Through his position at MyEtherWallet, Norton has been a visible proponent of self custodial wallet usage and best practices for securing digital assets. He has commented publicly on the importance of user experience in wallets, arguing that secure storage and interaction with assets must be made as straightforward as possible if decentralized networks are to reach mainstream adoption.
Norton has also participated in industry discussions about the evolution of the Ethereum ecosystem, from scalability and layer two solutions to the role of wallets as a primary interface for Web3. By focusing on education, interface design, and multi chain support, he contributes to efforts that aim to make decentralized technologies accessible to users who may not have a technical background.
Risks and Considerations
As with any executive closely associated with a non custodial wallet provider, Norton operates in a landscape that carries specific risks and challenges. MyEtherWallet does not hold user funds, so individual users remain responsible for managing private keys and seed phrases. This model reinforces decentralization but also means that user mistakes, such as sharing a seed phrase or falling for phishing attacks, can lead to irreversible loss of funds.
Norton and the MEW team therefore emphasize security education, clear interface warnings, and compatibility with hardware wallets as ways to reduce these risks. At the same time, the regulatory and security environment around self custodial tools and DeFi access remains in flux, which requires ongoing adaptation of product design and communication strategies. Norton's role as COO places him at the center of balancing usability, decentralization principles, and compliance considerations for a global user base.
